An undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, Rolando Ico-Choc, was involved in a fatal car crash on August 9 in Illinois, resulting in the death of Darcy Brunner, a 61-year-old resident of Freeport. Authorities report that Ico-Choc had been arrested multiple times over the past three years for offenses including driving under the influence, endangering the life of a child, domestic battery, resisting law enforcement, and operating uninsured vehicles.
Despite these repeated arrests and convictions, local authorities were unable to transfer Ico-Choc to federal custody due to sanctuary laws in place. After his most recent DUI conviction in January, he served seven days in jail before being released back into the community. This release followed six previous instances where requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for custody were not honored.
On August 9, while driving southbound on Illinois Route 26, Ico-Choc crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with Brunner’s vehicle. She died at the scene.
“This was not an innocent accident. It was a preventable tragedy made possible by policies that release dangerous offenders back onto our streets,” said ERO Chicago acting Field Office Director Shawn Byers. “Seven times ICE asked for custody, and seven times local law enforcement was forced to ignore those requests placing the death of this innocent women directly on the hands of those who voted the Illinois Trust Act into law.”
ICE detainers are formal requests sent to local law enforcement agencies asking them to hold individuals for up to 48 hours so that federal officers can assume custody. When these detainers are not honored because of sanctuary policies like those established by the Illinois Trust Act, individuals such as Ico-Choc may be released back into communities.
“How many more lives must be lost before Illinois lawmakers care enough about their constituents to ensure all law enforcement, federal and local are able to work together?” concluded Byers.
Further information about ICE’s public safety efforts is available through their official X account at @EROChicago.
